The cast of "Carriers" during a rehearsal. They include, front row from left, William Sandoval Sr. of Mount Olive and Chris Lance of Hackettstown; back row, from left, Mark Smith of Randolph, Gina Capano of Knowlton, Jarrett Smith of Long Valley, Katie Rose Reardon of Rockaway, Will Sandoval of Mount Olive and Nick DeVries of Allamuchy.
(Courtesy of Will Sandoval)

MOUNT OLIVE — The life of a wee-hours newspaper carrier isn’t something that most people think about, but Will Sandoval is determined to shed light on a subject that mostly stays in the dark.

Sandoval, 28, a frequent community-theater actor from the Budd Lake section of Mount Olive, is the writer-director and an actor in a new Internet situation-comedy series, “Carriers,” inspired by his father, William Sr., a Star-Ledger delivery guy for more than 30 years.

“Since it happens so early in the morning, most people are sleeping and unaware of it,” Sandoval said. But in his case, he grew up hearing stories about “everything from hitting deer to running over skunks to getting bit by bats.”

Not only that, but a look at the series pilot reveals there’s plenty of banter and some flirting among the carriers as they wait at the depot for the delivery of newspapers so they can make their runs.

“People are going to disagree and make inappropriate remarks,” Sandoval said.

Friday will be a big day in the life of “Carriers.”

The pilot will make its debut on the web, and “Carriers” will also be performed on stage at 8 p.m. as part of a festival of one-act plays at the Old Library Theatre in Fair Lawn. Performances will continue at 8 p.m. on Saturday and at 2 p.m. on May 25.

The lively show has the feeling of a TV production performed live as a play in a theater.

With an ensemble cast of eight, the plot, pace and atmosphere are reminiscent of the hit 1970s TV show “Taxi,” featuring Danny DeVito as the boss at a New York City taxi company and Judd Hirsch, Andy Kaufman, Marilu Henner and others as drivers.

“There are a lot of similarities,” Sandoval acknowledged. “People can relate to workplace characters, but I’ve never seen a TV show about newspaper carriers.”

Sandoval plays a new carrier also named Will whose car breaks down during a 3:30 a.m. run. Will calls his boss, Elizabeth, played by Gina Capano of Knowlton, at the depot to get help. But she shows little sympathy as she simultaneously attends to Ed, played by Jarrett Smith of Long Valley, a carrier who‘s filling her in on his romantic dilemmas.

Another carrier, the nerdy, overly talkative Shelly, played by Katie Rose Reardon of Rockaway, has a crush on Ed, but he isn’t interested in her.

However, when another carrier, the alluring Shelby, also played by Reardon, arrives at the depot, Ed tries unsuccessfully to gain her attention, while suspecting she may be Shelly in disguise. That will be the continuing mystery of the show, Sandoval said.

Sandoval, who works with developmentally disabled children as his day job, recruited friends from other productions to act and operate the cameras.

“When we get together, it’s just filming with friends and it’s something we love to do,” he said, noting he is also celebrating “the legacy of my dad,” also from Budd Lake, who plays himself in the show.

Sandoval has filmed just the pilot thus far, along with directing and writing the stage version. He expects to have two more episodes ready in the fall and is looking for bigger things: He is entering a competition sponsored by NBC, which is looking for a new sit-com series.

For the Fair Lawn event, “Carriers” was one of six plays selected from more than 50 submissions.

Sandoval, who previously appeared in Fair Lawn as the mayor in a production of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” as well as in other plays, was a familiar face and an easy choice, said Brendan Joel Bartlett, publicity director and a board member at the theater.

“Will has a wonderful nurturing thing about him. Everyone wants to contribute to that,” Bartlett said. “He has a star quality and is a very inspiring person.”

“Carriers,” Bartlett said, “is very understandable, very in-your-face. Anyone can relate to it,” he said, comparing its comedic style to the television show “The Office.”

Regardless of whether he hits the big time in television, Sandoval said, “Obviously the performing arts are my true passion” and that’s what he intends to keep pursuing.

“I like to feel like I’m making a difference,” he said. “Hopefully people will feel entertained and pick up something valuable from what I put out into the world.”

“Carriers,” Sandoval said, has a lesson to teach: “Appreciate your newspaper carrier. He helps you a lot more than you know.”